Can I get free samples?

Sure! Send us an email with your address. We will send you about 10 different original "Yourstamps" stamps. We will not give your address to anyone else or use it for further advertising mailings. Please note that we do not send out printouts of your own stamp design as sample (neither to you nor to anyone else). If, for a more complicated order, you would like to see the full sheet design, we can send you printout in form of an Acrobat PDF file via email.

When will my stamps be delivered?

For small orders (10-20 sheets), we usually will ship within 1 week - if you require the stamps at a fixed date like birthday or wedding, we can accelerate production and ship within 1-2 days. For large orders, it will take at least 1 to 2 weeks. Please take into account that shipping will usually take 1 week to the US, UK or other European countries. We can ship with DHL Express, but the costs will have to be covered by the customer.

How are the stamps sold?

Our stamps are shipped in sheets containing 15 stamps (fixed format) or between 6 and 30 stamps pers sheet for free format (depending on stamp size); sheet size is about 15 by 15.5cm / 6 by 6.2 inch for fixed format; free format sheets are up to 50% higher. The minimum number of sheets in one order is 10. If you require only a small number of stamps, you may order our stamp pouches containing 2 stamp sheets (at least 30 stamps) split in stamp rows.

Are the stamps valid for postage?

Our stamps are not valid for any official postal fees. Please do not mix up Yourstamps' stamps with stamps issued by some countries where you can have your photo integrated in a frame stamp, at a much higher price. We do not accept designs which make stamps printed by us usable as fake postal stamps. Also, they are printed on non-fluorescent paper, which means that modern mail-sorting machines don't even "see" them.

May I stick them on letters?

On the rear side, as a sealing stamp, it is legal anywhere we know of to stick yourstamps stamps on letters. To the best of our knowledge and belief it is permitted to place yourstamps on the front of the envelope, however it is safer to check with your postal authorities. So far we have had no reports of letters being rejected even with Yourstamps items placed next to the official postage stamp and presented at the Post Office counter.

What kind of pictures can I send in?

We accept pictures in jpg or gif format. For the fixed format, they should roughly be in a 2:1 (exactly 1.82:1) layout, i.e. the width is a bit less than two times their heigth, or vice versa. In pixels, their width should ideally be 945 pixels, their height 518 pixels. Small deviations are ok, the printing software will adapt and center the picture correctly. For best results, though, especially with fine details, keep to the exact pixel values given above.

For the free format stamps, please calculate with 600 dpi (dots per inch). If your stamp image should be 1" (about 25mm) wide, the jpg should have 600 pixels width.

Another tip: For black texts or lines on a coloured background, try to use the "blackest" black possible, with RGB values 0,0,0, and make sure you use contrasting colors - black letters on dark blue background may be readable on the screen, but not on the stamps.

The picture may be from any source, e.g. a digital photo, scan or drawing. If a photo is being used, it may be advisable to put a thin black border (3 pixel) around the image to give it more contrast and get a cleaner edge. We have integrated this in our printing software - please note it in your order if you would like this free option.

What are the acceptance rules for pictures?

To avoid any problems for you and us, we have to check the pictures sent in if they conform to certain rules. Sorry about that ;-)

We will contact you if we believe your picture violates one of the rules below.

  • No racist or fascist contents
  • No pornographic, degrading or defaming contents
  • No names of countries, institutions or brand names may be used (except by their respective owners)
  • No genuine postage stamps or other value stamps may be displayed or mimicked
  • Of course, invented country names may be used! And, of course, the stamps may display a value in a real or invented currency.
  • Also, it is OK to use images of classical stamps (pre 1930) as part of the design, e.g. for stamp dealers' advertising stamps.

Can you help me in designing my personal stamp from a photo?

Not A Problem! If you provide the photo and some details on the texts you want to have displayed, maybe a text color, we can design the stamp for you for a small design surcharge. Included in this service are

  • Scanning a paper print
  • Cropping the picture to an optimal size
  • Brightness, contrast and color optimizing
  • Adding texts as instructed by you
  • Adding a frame
  • Small corrections, like red eyes removal

Also included in the design surcharge is a "design check" (if requested in the order). We will send you the edited picture in form of a Acrobat PDF sheet printout for comments and corrections and print the stamps only after those corrections have been applied. If you cannot provide the photo or drawing in a digital format, you may also mail it in. The photo will be returned together with the stamps. For our mail address see the Contact page.

Why can't I pay for my order immediately?

Thanks to paypal, it would be very easy for us to add "pay now" functionality. We decided against it, though, because our goal is 100% customer satisfaction. We want you to have the stamps in your hands to decide if you are satisfied or if you would like to return them to us before you pay. Also, some customers might pay, but then forget to send the email with the picture.The payment process nevertheless is very simple; after receiving the billing email, you can pay with paypal or credit card with a few clicks, through a secure server. If you select bank transfer as payment method, the account details will be listed on the invoice sent together with the stamps.

What kind of stamps do you use for your shipments?

We are shipping with Deutsche Post, mixing their commemorative issues with definitives. We mostly avoid self adhesive stamps and do not remove the sheet borders which are often quite decorative. The shipments usually are hand stamped in the post office. In addition, we apply our own stamps to the shipment, cleanly cancelled - somehow the post office clerks only rarely ask about them and never reject the shipments.